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Volume 8, Issue 117 (Sunday, August 19th) FantasyHeadquarters.com is NOW RESERVING TEAMS IN THEIR 2007 ONLINE FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUES! Teams are NOW AVAILABLE in over 40 very different styles of leagues! League structures include: *** "Immediate Draft" Leagues", which begin drafting 48 hours after they've filled, so you don't have to wait until August or early September to draft if you don't want to! For a limited time, anyone that joins a league and mentions this Footballguys.com Email upon joining, will receive 5% off of their entry fees!*Up to 93% of entry fees are kicked back, with one-time entry fees ranging from as little as $49, all the way up to $4999! (*The $999 and $4999 leagues will be awarded a 3% refund, rather than 5%.) LIMITED TIME OFFERS Hi Folks, Good Monday to you. It's a great time to be an NFL fan as we're heading into that all important Week 3 of the preseason. This weekend's games ought to look as close to real games as we'll see in the preseason. And lots of position decisions will be made over the next 10 days. We've got lots of News and Notes so let's get to it. JSITE NEWS A.
Footballguys Podcast - The Audible - Andrew Mason (DEN) and Calvin Watkins (DAL)
B.
Footballguys Podcast - The Audible - Cowboys/Broncos Training Camp Report
C.
Footballguys Podcast - The Audible - Travis Henry Interview
D.
The Upside of Danger
E.
Understanding IDP Dynasty Rankings
F.
2007 Preseason / 2006 End-of-season RB and WR Comparisons
G.
Running Back Rushing TDs & the Year After
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1. DEN - No Structural Damage Found In RB Henry's Knee2. NYG - Giants WR Jennings Ruptures Achilles 3. GB - Four Green Bay Players Suffer Knee Injuries 4. MIA - HC Cameron Focuses On Fundamentals Over Flash 5. DAL - Rookie QB Turned WR Stanback Shines In Debut 6. SD - RB Turner Shines Again 7. GB - WR Jennings Not Having Great Preseason 8. OAK - RB Jordan Enjoys Good Rushing Effort Against 49ers 9. NE - Patriots WR Gaffney At Head Of Class 10. TEN - Titans HC Fisher Defends QB Young's Poor Performance 11. OAK - Raiders QB Culpepper Shows Signs Of Old 12. NYG - Giants Rookie WR Smith Suffers Concussion 13. MIN - Peterson Shines But Still Sharing Time With RB Taylor 14. KC - RB Holmes Unable To Practice DEN - No Structural Damage Found In RB Henry's Knee Source: Len Pasquarelli, ESPN The Denver Broncos received some good news on Sunday when they found out after examining new starting RB Travis Henry's left knee that there is no significant structural damage. It is not known how long Henry, who is in his first season with the Broncos, will be sidelined. But the Broncos, who have had a different leading rusher in each of the past four seasons, and in five of the last six years, likely will err on the side of caution. The Broncos feel that Henry will be successful running behind a blocking scheme that really fits his talents well. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Henry owners dodged a bullet here it would appear. Good news. It's possible there might even be a silver lining here as this should cool a little of the hype on Henry we'd been seeing. We've been shouting about the guy and he was starting to inch up draft boards everywhere it seemed. If you're a guy desiring Henry (and I think you should be), I'd be playing up this injury as much as you could. NYG - Giants WR Jennings Ruptures Achilles Source: Al Michaels, NBC-TV On-air play-by-play announcer Al Michaels reported that New York Giants WR Michael Jennings has ruptured his Achilles tendon, in the second quarter of the Giants Sunday evening pre-season game against the Baltimore Ravens. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Tough break for Jennings as he was raising some eyebrows but it looks like he's gone for the year. Between injuries and retirements, the Giants are getting thin. GB - Four Green Bay Players Suffer Knee Injuries Source: Lori Nickel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Four Green Bay Packer players suffered MCL knee injuries in the blowout against Seattle Saturday night in Lambeau Field: WR/PR Shaun Bodiford, backup FB Ryan Powdrell, DE Michael Montgomery and OT Orrin Thompson. Packers coach Mike McCarthy only said that each will be out at least a couple of weeks. The injuries to Bodiford and Powdrell hurt the club the most. Bodiford was coming on as a special teams contributor and Powdrell leaves an already battered backfield more depleted. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] It's always tough to lose a player to injury. Even more so in a preseason game that really doesn't mean anything. Let's hope Green Bay gets these guys back as quickly as possible. MIA - HC Cameron Focuses On Fundamentals Over Flash Source: David J. Neal, Miami Herald Miami Dolphins new HC Cam Cameron said that he is only using about 20% of his offensive plays right now, focusing on teaching fundamentals over flash. "We work certain things in practice that we know aren't being filmed and given to opponents, and in the game we want to focus on fundamentals, blocking, tackling and those kind of things," Cameron said. "Now, second year, third year, fourth year, you do it a little bit differently, but we're probably the most vanilla offense in the league in [the] preseason in the first year because we're in such an evaluation process of our blocking unit." [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Cameron has a track record of excellence so I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. And he needs that as I'm not seeing a lot of reasons for optimism so far. Maybe they'll unleash the "real" offense in Week 1... DAL - Rookie QB Turned WR Stanback Shines In Debut Source: Zach Buchanan, DallasCowboys.com Dallas Cowboys rookie QB turned WR Isaiah caught 2 passes for 30 yards and scored a touchdown in his NFL debut. Not bad at all for a player that didn't play receiver in college and has been out with injuries for the past 10 months. "As a receiver, you've got to look from the outside in," Stanback said. "It's a different point of view and I'm getting used to looking at it that way. I feel like I'm light years behind. Just the aspect that everyone who's playing receiver right now has played receiver before, and I really haven't." [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Regular readers know I'm a Stanback fan. He give the Cowboys some really intriguing options, especially in red zone packages where he could play a "slash" type role. We'll see. But we're pulling for the guy. Source: Casey Pierce, Chargers.com In the Chargers dominating performance against the St. Louis Rams on Saturday, RB Michael Turner, backup to RB LaDainian Tomlinson proved once again he can be dominant if called upon. He carried the ball 9 times for 48 yards, offering up a bruising, relentless rushing style that is tough to contain. HC Norv Turner said, "I told the guys (in the locker room) that I wouldn't want to have to step up and tackle him." [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Turner is one of the more frustrating players in the league because we'd all love to see him on another team where he didn't have to sit behind LaDainian Tomlinson. But the reality is that he does. His value is still relatively high as a handcuff to Tomlinson. Or if your arch rival owns Tomlinson, Turner's a guy that's probably worth slightly overspending on to just have something on the Tomlinson owner. GB - WR Jennings Not Having Great Preseason Source: Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel As a rookie last season WR Greg Jennings exploded onto the scene and emerged as a starting receiver for the Green Bay Packers. He has been battling injury woes and has been invisible for most of training camp and the Packers first preseason games. Meanwhile rookie James Jones has been on fire and could start for the team. "You can't be bitter," Jennings said. "You try to make the best out of it. At the same time, I'm a perfectionist. I'm one of those guys, I want the ball. I don't want to make it a big ordeal because it's not just about that. But it sits in the back of your mind because that's how players fall through those cracks." [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] We talk about things move quickly around here. Well it works both ways. Guys can drop as quickly as they rise. And Jennings seems to be in danger of doing just that. OAK - RB Jordan Enjoys Good Rushing Effort Against 49ers Source: Chris Smith, Footballguys.com RB Lamont Jordan didn't show any rust on Saturday as his Oakland Raiders took on the San Francisco 49ers. Jordan carried the ball 8 times for 67 yards and scored a touchdown. He also had a 19-yard reception. Jordan will enter the season as the Raiders starting running back. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Jordan's been talking about his need to produce and this was a good step in that direction. With Dominic Rhodes suspended for the first four games of the regular season, Jordan has the opportunity to stake his claim for the #1 RB job. NE - Patriots WR Gaffney At Head Of Class Source: Karen Guregian, The Boston Herald New England Patriots fans are hoping QB Tom Brady develops with WR Randy Moss what he had with Deion Branch. Right now, however, the receiver closest to the Brady/Branch dynamic is not Moss. And it's not Donte' Stallworth, the other burner brought in during the offseason. Instead, it's Jabar Gaffney . Given Moss' hamstring injury, he hasn't been on the field enough to establish that kind of rapport with Brady. The same goes for Stallworth. So far, Gaffney has looked the most in sync with the Pats quarterback during the first three weeks of training camp, with Reche Caldwell next in line. You can see the connection between Brady and Gaffney on both the timing routes and the option routes. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Gaffney's been flying somewhat under the radar while everyone talks about Moss or Stallworth. Don't let that slip by your radar as you head into your draft. If there's a coach in the league that'll let the production and not the name dictate playing time, it's Bill Belichick. Stay tuned but for now, I like what we're seeing from Gaffney. TEN - Titans HC Fisher Defends QB Young's Poor Performance Source: ESPN, Associated Press Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young looked downright rusty. The second-year quarterback slipped to the ground, threw passes short and high and lost the ball on a bungled hand off. "I think it was the weather, the surface, people in his face. The approach the Patriots took defensively, which was a unique approach," Titans HC Jeff Fisher said Saturday. The Patriots sacked Young four times, and the quarterback went six straight passes without a completion. He finished 5-of-17 for 102 yards and rushed 4 times for 9 yards, including being stopped twice when he tried to run in from the Patriots 1. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] We're not worried. Vince Young will be fine but this was a tough outing for him. If you're a Young fan, I wouldn't hesitate to talk up this struggling to the other guys in your league in hopes of driving his stock down a little. OAK - Raiders QB Culpepper Shows Signs Of Old Source: USA Today Newly acquired Oakland Raiders QB Daunte Culpepper passed for 75 yards and threw touchdown passes to John Madsen and Zack Crockett before 49ers rookie Thomas Clayton scored on a 1-yard plunge with 47 seconds left in San Francisco's 26-21 preseason victory Saturday night. Culpepper is hoping to regain his Pro Bowl form with Oakland. He went 6-of-8, didn't throw an interception and even scrambled 13 yards for a first down while leading the Raiders to a 21-13 lead. "I still have to get caught up," Culpepper said. "I'm months behind everybody with the terminology. I just have to continue to work at it. It just takes repetitions. The more reps I get, the more comfortable I'll be." [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Culpepper did look much better in this outing but I'm still a long ways from being sold here. NYG - Giants Rookie WR Smith Suffers Concussion Source: Al Michaels, NBC-TV On-air play-by-play announcer Al Michaels reports that New York Giants rookie wide receiver Steve Smith has suffered a concussion in the second quarter of the Giants Sunday evening preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. Additional information is unavailable at this time. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Stay tuned to see how Smith recovers here. Looks can be deceiving but it didn't appear to be a huge hit that put him out. MIN - Peterson Shines But Still Sharing Time With RB Taylor Source: AP Before the fantasy football crowd gets too pumped up about Peterson and his first-year potential, it's worth highlighting Chester Taylor's name on the depth chart. After rushing a franchise-record 303 times for 1,216 yards in 15 games last season and impressing Childress with his toughness, Taylor is still the starter who figures to get more than half of the carries. Peterson is the "changeup," who will provide a flashier option as the second part of this running back tandem -- one of the latest NFL trends used successfully last year by playoff teams like Chicago, Dallas, Indianapolis, New England and New Orleans. Asked Sunday about his running backs, Childress said he hasn't seen anything during training camp to change his mind about the roles for Taylor and Peterson. "It's all about coming out of this camp with a good idea of who we are as a football team and who we are as an offense -- and then individually, not asking guys to do something that we do not feel like they are very good at," Childress said.[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Peterson looked outstanding in his game against the Jets. He looked like the guy they drafted running hard and breaking a long run. But Chester Taylor doesn't appear to be going anywhere. At least not right now. Although if Peterson continues to wow, it may be tough to keep him off the field. KC - RB Holmes Unable To Practice Source: AP Coach Herm Edwards said he wanted to make sure not to hurry RB Priest Holmes. "He's not ready. We had a long talk," Edwards said. "The doctor said it's OK for him to participate. But in his mind, and in our mind, we felt where he's at right now he's not 100 percent with his legs underneath him. He's laid off for a long time. I told him today, I'm not going to rush you. I'm definitely not going to rush you." After being examined by team physician Dr. Jon Brown, Holmes was on the field but without his helmet, which players on the PUP list may not wear. While teammates went through a tough, physical practice, Holmes jogged, stood around and ran phantom passing routes away from everyone else. "Dr. Brown wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. Instead of me coming out and possibly violating my PUP by putting my helmet on," Holmes said. "That's the only reason why you see me out here with shoulder pads and no helmet. I can mirror just about everything that they're doing. But I can't put on the helmet while I'm still on the actual PUP list."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Larry Johnson's negotiators have to like this. It seems pretty clear that this team isn't going to be counting on Holmes for much of anything. I'd expect that we see Johnson sign, and Holmes fade away. But stay tuned as stranger things have happened. That'll do it for today, Folks. Have a great Monday and we'll see you tomorrow. J |
